Hereditary Cataracts, Early-Onset Cataracts, Juvenile Cataracts

Affected dogs first show a cloudy haze in their pupil that gradually becomes more milky blue to crystalline in appearance. Vision worsens, and dogs may bump into furniture, be more hesitant on steps, and run into walls or doorways.

While cataracts are typically a disease of the senior dog and can be associated with other eye diseases (these would be termed secondary cataracts), mutations in the FYCO1 gene cause cataracts to form at an accelerated rate in young puppies (around 8 weeks of age).

Veterinarians will examine your dog’s eyes and may use a light or lens to assist in the diagnosis. Please note that there are other ocular diseases that are commonly mistaken for cataracts so be sure to have your dog evaluated by a veterinarian.

Surgical correction by a veterinary ophthalmologist is currently the only treatment available to restore your dog’s vision. The other alternative is careful monitoring and lifestyle changes to make your dog’s blindness more manageable.

Talk to your vet about your dog’s hereditary cataracts result so you can work together to plan regular eye exams and monitoring.

Schedule veterinary eye exams to track any changes in the lens and discuss whether a referral to a veterinary ophthalmologist may be helpful.

Watch for signs of vision changes, such as cloudy eyes, bumping into objects, or hesitation in dim light, and contact your vet if you notice any of these signs.

This variant was first described in the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon.

Penetrance: This variant is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner, meaning a dog requires two copies of the variant to show signs of Juvenile Cataract.

Gene

FYCO1 Exon 8

Inheritance type

recessive

Clinical category

Ophthalmologic

Citations

1. Garces et al 2022

• Wirehaired Pointing Griffon